1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a disinfectant composition which can be used advantageously in the disinfection of generally confined areas, for example within buildings and vehicles such as buses, ambulances, etc., and to a disinfection method using said composition.
2. Background Art
In the disinfection of a confined area such as the interior of an ambulance, routine general cleaning must be followed by a time-consuming disinfection work which includes wiping with a swab and disinfectant solution.
The ambulance, for instance, must be maintained at least at a certain level of cleanliness because its function is to transport patients while they are given initial treatment, and for this purpose, routine disinfection is an important procedure. It is generally acknowledged that the mean viable count of coliform bacteria, staphylococci, general bacteria, fungi and so on should not be more than 10 colony-forming units (CFU/10 cm.sup.2) and preferably not more than 5 CFU/10 cm.sup.2 [Kyukyu Iryo no Kiso to Jissai: 1 Kyukyu Gyomu to Kyukyu Iryo] (The Fundamentals and Practice of Emergency Medicine: 1 Emergency Management and Emergency Medicine, edited by the Emergency Department of the Metropolitan Fire Board of Tokyo, published by Joho Kaihatsu Kenkyusho).
The conventional disinfection procedure comprises using an aqueous dilution of a certain disinfectant such as cresol by manual swab cleaning or spray cleaning with the aid of a hand-operated or electrically-driven sprayer. In some extraordinary or unavoidable cases, a disinfectant solution based on glutaraldehyde, which is known to be an effective sterilant/disinfectant, has been employed. Thus, for example, glutaral is diluted with water to a concentration of about 1 to 2 percent and applied by swab cleaning.
However, the conventional disinfection procedure is not only time-consuming but also inadequate in that all nooks and corners can hardly be reached for thorough disinfection. Moreover, as the diluted disinfectant solution is applied by spraying, the water remains on the treated surface and the desired disinfecting effect is not obtained in corner areas so that no satisfactory result is accomplished.
In addition, when said glutaraldehyde is used for swab cleaning, the irritating and pungent odor persists for a long time. Thus, the odor is in the air for as long as 12 to 24 hours.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a disinfectant composition which can be used advantageously in the disinfection of confined areas such as within the ambulance under all circumstances, is capable of providing a very high disinfecting effect, can be easily prepared in the field, and does not give off an irritating odor.
It is another object of the invention to provide a disinfection method by which said disinfectant composition can be applied uniformly to all the nooks and corners of such confined spaces.